A Doha Criminal Court has sentenced a man to five years in jail and a fine of QR200,000 for illicit drugs consumption and trading.

Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported that the court also sentenced another man involved in the same case to a six-month suspended jail sentence for three years from the date of the verdict.

The Drug Prevention Department received a tip from a secret source that the first defendant used to sell the illicit Captagon pills and hashish. An official in disguise approached him to buy some of these drugs. The defendant offered to sell him 200 Captagon pills for QR7,500, and they agreed to meet in the evening at a certain area.

The meeting took place under the surveillance of a hidden police patrol.

At the designated time and place, the defendant came in his vehicle accompanied by the second defendant. The official got into the vehicle of the defendant, who gave him the illicit pills and took the money from him.

When the police vehicle approached them, the first defendant tried to escape but could not and he was arrested alongside the other defendant. However, it was proven that the other defendant was not involved in the illicit trade but only used to consume such drugs.